Letting Go
by ShawN7
Summary: I have no idea, just something short and dramatic.


"You have to let go, Shepard!" She screamed at me from where she hung over the edge of the Collectors platform. "No!" I screamed back, my hand gripping hers tighter. "Don't be stupid, Shepard! You're going to kill us both if you do not let go of me!" Mirandas grip completely let go of my hand, forcing me to grab her with both hands. "Miranda stop, help me pull you up!" I screeched in desperation.

"Kate, please." she sang in her angelic voice. "You need to let me go, there is no time." I looked down at her, seeing the fear in her eyes. Her hand gripped mine once more, squeezing it as it had after Horizon, bringing the memory to the forefront of my mind. My eyes fell upon her lips, remembering the way they moved softly against my own, the feel of her breath against my cheek, how warm she felt beneath me… "Let me go!" Miranda screamed again. "Shepard, you need to live." she cried, tears finally rolling down her cheeks. I could feel my own leaving wet trails and burning my eyes.

I blinked harshly, trying to clear my blurry vision and stay focused. I tried pulling Miranda up once more, only to have the platform underneath me begin to crumble with the weight. "I can't… It's, there…" I mumbled incoherently, sobbing uncontrollably. "I love you," Miranda said, her voice cracking with emotion. I fixed my grip, my hands sweating too much to keep hold any longer. "No!" I screamed in frustration once more. "Miranda!" I looked down at her helplessly. "I love you." she repeated with more conviction, letting go of my hands and wrist. She was slipping once more and I was powerless to halt her slow descent. "No, no, no, no, no! Miranda, help me!" I cried, trying to fix my hold. "I'm sorry," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.

My world seemed to slow as her hands slipped completely from my grasp and she fell to the depths of the Collector base. I wanted to scream, to jump after her, to do anything at all, but my body refused to respond. I continued to stare long after she was gone. I could faintly hear someone yelling over the comm. but I still refused to move, to respond. "Miranda…" I croaked out in a sob. I felt arms snake under my shoulders, lifting me from where I laid on the platform floor. I stared blankly, not seeing anything but the last look on Miranda's face, the fear in her eyes.

"Shepard! Shepard!" I could hear a voice, distant and fading, yelling at me. "Shepard, snap out of it! What's wrong with her?" the voice said, fading in and out. "She's in shock? I don't know!" another voice said. A hard slap came across my right cheek. It stung, pulsating. Another came twice as hard over the left and then again on the right. My vision blurred in and out of focus until finally resting on Garrus' scarred face. "Can you hear me, Shepard?" he said. I nodded, wiping the back of my hands on my cheeks, feeling the wet tears. Garrus moved out of the way, revealing the inside of the med-bay and Dr. Chakwas. I looked around in confusion, when did we get here?

Garrus' firm hand rested on my shoulder when I moved to get up from the bed. "Shepard…" Dr. Chakwas said softly, placing a light touch on my other shoulder. I look to her with blurry eyes, tears forming again. "Where's Miranda?" I questioned, my voice hoarse and dry. It hurt to speak. "Shepard." Garrus said, earning my attention. "I have to get to Miranda. She needs me." I tried to get up once more, only to be pushed back. "She's gone, Shepard." Garrus said harshly. I looked up at him. His eyes were sad and his mandibles twitched in discomfort. "She's gone. You need to snap out of this, we need you."

"Garrus…" Dr. Chakwas chided. "There's no time for this, Karin! It was hard enough to get her in here with her screaming, the crew needs their commander." he turned back to me, saying my name again. I wiped my eyes again, taking a few deep, shaky breaths. He's right, they need me to get them home. I can… Theres time for everything else once we get back through the Omega 4. I sniffed, wiped a few more tears, then pushed Garrus' arm away. I got up and looked towards the ceiling, "EDI, have the crew meet in the mess hall for any medical attention. Joker, I'll be on the bridge soon. Set a course for Omega… No one else is dying on me."


End file.
